VENEZUELA. 645 



ground, in the hope of obtaining sufficient air for breathing, 

 till the flames have passed by. The fire mounts the hill, but 

 happily, finding little nourishment, is speedily extinguished 

 And now the waving mass, rolling onwards, recedes further 

 and further from their gaze. 



Whole swarms of voracious vultures follow in circling flight 

 the smoky column, like so many hungry jackals, and pounce 

 upon the snakes and lizards which the blaze has stifled and half 

 calcined in its murderous embrace. Then, with the rapidity 

 of lightning, they dart on their prey and disappear in the 

 clouds of smoke, as if they were voluntarily devoting them- 

 selves to a fiery death. Soon the deafening noise of the con- 

 flagration ceases, and the dense black clouds in the distance 

 are the only signs that the flames are still proceeding on 

 their devastating path over the wide waste of the savannah. 



The travellers thus happily saved may now proceed on their 

 course, provided they have a supply of water for themselves, 

 and have certain information of the existence of some deep 

 pool at which their steeds may quench their thirst. Let them 

 be cautious, however, how they approach the pool; for beneath 

 its surface the alligator and anaconda lie hid, or the electric 

 eel — which with its powerful galvanic battery may strike the 

 steed which ventures within its reach. 



Even in this arid region the bountiful Creator has not left 

 his creatures without the means of sustaining life. Here, on 

 the driest soil, the globular melon-cactus, measuring a foot in 

 diameter, flourishes ; its tough and prickly skin surrounding 

 a rich and juicy pulp. It is, however, covered with long, 

 sharp thorns, which must be broken off before the refreshing 

 juice can be obtained. It is curious that the wild horse and 

 ox — strangers, as it were, to the region — are not possessed of 



41 B 



